While cleaning out the Myrtle House was not quite a walk in the park, it was kind of fun to dig through everything and discover Brian's grandmother's treasures. We found her silver serving trays that were a wedding gift, handmade quilts, blue mason jars, and her algebra book from the 1920s.
And some pretty little details in the architecture...
And perhaps spring is finally on the way?
Every time Brian and I head for the Myrtle House, my first comment is, "I hope it is still standing." Dramatic sounding? Definitely. A valid concern? Unfortunately, yes. You see, the back of the house has been teetering on a pile of about five corroding bricks. There is a support column that is holding on by a thread. If it fell and was not properly supported, it could literally take down the back of the house - roof and all. So, as you can imagine, getting this post was one of my top priorities! Brian searched for a video on the proper way to create a temporary support (how did we learn anything before YouTube?!) and then he got to work.
Shag carpet covering original hardwood floors? This is like finding gold. Now throw in the fact that said carpet was never stapled into the hardwood and is just LAYING on top? Now that is like finding diamonds, my friends. While some of the floors are a little/lot wonky and warped, two of the rooms with fairly level floors have gorgeous hardwoods that are very well preserved (living and dining room). I literally dream about taking a sander to them. Can't.freaking.wait. Here are a few photos of what I am talking about.
With the 1970s slowly exiting the building, I can start to see the real potential in this place!
These adorable settees (yes, plural!) might be my favorite Craigslist purchase to date. They are oh so lovely. Small in scale, these pretty little vintage settees are very comfortable and extremely well-made. The previous owner has two little boys, and these held up super well for the wear and tear I am sure they were put through! :) I also think I got a great deal on them - $200 for the pair.
I am on the fence as to what to do with them. The fabric is in MINT condition. Like, just-came-from the-upholsterer condition. But, they are not exactly my style, nor do they match any of my existing furniture... I really want to cover them in a cream linen-type fabric, but feel guilty about removing this pretty fabric. Should I leave them as is? Would you all black list me if I re-upholstered them? ;)
I am sorry if these posts are getting boring, but for us, it helps our sanity by actually seeing progress! Over the last few weeks, we were able to FINALLY go through the whole house and bag up all of the garbage and donations. It feels so good to finally know exactly what is in the house and sort through it all. I will be honest, this was a very grimy process. Maybe the grossest thing I have done to date and something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy... but, it really gave us a sense of accomplishment! Another step to having this house closer to ready for the fun stuff. Here are a few photos I snapped the day we got the house organized.
I think orange is my least favorite color. I know some people that REALLY love orange, and more power to them, but to me, this bright color always made me feel uncomfortable. Surprising, since it is complementary to my favorite color: blue. But, when I saw these two chairs on Craigslist, I had to have them. Especially since they were only $50 for the pair. Score.
My original plan was to paint them and then have them re-upholstered. I got a quote from our upholstery guy, and it was going to be $250/chair. What?? Apparently the tufting ups the price significantly, and sadly, that was just out of my budget. So, Brian and I set out to paint them white, and see what we thought about the glaring orange once the paint went on.
We taped garbage bags to the upholstery with painters tape, and this worked surprisingly well. It took a lot of time, and a LOT of paint, but these orange chairs did grow on me after a while.
When we were getting closer to moving, in my heart, I knew that I could not pull off orange chairs (if that makes sense). I am much more of a neutral kind of girl, and the orange just wasn't "me". I decided to sell the chairs and a fellow designer picked them up for a client she was working with. I am glad these little chairs found a good, permanent home. I also ended up selling the pair for $250, which makes the labor of painting them worthwhile. :)
